Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) confirmed to Politico on Monday that he is going to challenge incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) for his Senate seat this November. "If it's good for us, I’m going to support what the White House wants to do," promised Scott, who is a close ally of President Trump and was encouraged to run by the president last year. "If it's not good for Florida, I'm going to oppose. I'm not going to be a rubber stamp for anybody."
The race against Nelson — one of the most vulnerable sitting Democrats — is widely expected to be expensive and tight, with Politico predicting "an epic battle." Democrats have already announced intentions of a "six figure" digital ad buy, and they also intend to link Scott to the 14 deaths at a senior home in Broward County after last year's Hurricane Irma, as well as a recent bridge collapse that killed six in Miami-Dade County.
The gun control debate could also be central to the race; Scott signed restrictions last month in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that Democrats say were too lax and some Republicans call a "self-inflicted ding" with NRA supporters, NBC News reports.
While Democrats are hoping to flip the House, and have a fighting chance, flipping the Senate is a more difficult task. There are 10 Democrats, including Nelson, who are defending seats this November in states Trump won in the 2016 election.